Rather than a cement walkway what are my options?

[Norm]

I need some good ideas for a pathway around the house. I don't think I want to use a cement walkway.

[quad80]

I'm not sure you can get it but crushed granite makes a real nice pathway here in my area of texas. its best if flat with little grade. The granite packs real tight and dry's quickly, but offers a cheaper option than cement. Also ground level 2x6 decks are nice too but have to cost it out...GL

[Foolish Old]

http://www.paverweb.com/sidewalks.php

[SCI-Nurse]

Brick-on-sand is nice, but labor intensive. It lets water through, but you also have to keep after weeds growing between the bricks unless you set it in concrete (more expensive). You need a deeper sand layer if your ground freezes in winter too.

I am planning the crushed granite as above for my garden re-do, but I think that works better in places where the ground does not freeze. It does let water drain through though.

You may not want to rule out concrete, but instead think about aggregate (exposed rock) which makes it less slippery and more attractive, or even embossed concrete that can look like brick, slate or stone. Here is an example (not an endorsement): http://www.scofield.com/stampedconcrete_brochure.html

(KLD)

[gurly2356]

I have a cement pathway from the front yard to the back entrance. I have mine nicely landscaped.. looks nice. Just have to get creative..

[Eileen]

I think they can add dyes to cement if you want a different look. I would always go with cement because it is the easiest to maintain, won't grow weeds between cracks, and won't heave if you live in an area with cold temps.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Yes, Cement may be your best bet. Funny you should post this thread, I've been looking into doing a walkway to the back of my house as I'm tired of wheeling through dirt as the grass does not grow very well in the back as I have a big tree and too much shade. Just the other day I got price of doing pavers and it the estimate was 3500 bucks for a 71 foot long walkway, thats way too much. I'm gonna have the same guy price out cement for me, I post the price here in this thread when I get that estimate. I've also thought about bluestone, I guess that is fairly inexpensive and looks kinda natural, it packs down real nice and is easy to wheel on. The other thought I had was ordering a bunch of roll out teak walkways over the net and connecting them all together and just putting them over the lawn.

[peegy p]

I never heard of "roll-out teak walkways". How do they work? They might be useful for doing some gardening and weeding.

Norm: If you have some money, then how about large pieces of flagstone or slate?

[Curt Leatherbee]

I never heard of "roll-out teak walkways". How do they work? They might be useful for doing some gardening and weeding.

Norm: If you have some money, then how about large pieces of flagstone or slate?

Heres the link;;;http://www.misterboardwalk.com/rolloutprice.ivnu

[ChipS]

Hi Norm,

Check out stanped and dyed concrete. There are a variety of patterns and several colors to choose from. This could be your best bet if you really do not want the stark grey and flat looking walkway.

Prior to my accident, I had a stackstone type stamp on tan and charcoal colored concrete placed around a swimming pool. This stuff was beautiful.

Let us know what you decide. :)

[rdf]

Heres the link;;;http://www.misterboardwalk.com/rolloutprice.ivnuThanks for the link Curt. Interesting website, and I'm thinking I'm going to buy some and use it to get to my backyard. I just bought a house, and the backyard is huge. I've been throwin around ideas how to traverse the small slope up to the backyard, probably a rise over run of 1 to 12 is all, for about 10 feet. The walkways on the site look like they'll do the trick. I"m wondering how solid they are.

[fuentejps]

yup go stamped colored concrete. we just had a patio put on. we went w/ roman slate stamp. dont let someone talk u into just cast[top color], you want integral[mixed in cement] then cast. many jobs that u see that u8 think is brickwork is just stamped, much cheaper.

[vjls]

ok i am cheap marine plywood painted . held in place by 12" spikes

[JenJen]

If you didn't have so much rain, I'd suggest quarter minus... A very fine stone that compacts down as hard as concrete but looks better (imho). I did my entire back yard in it and I can roll everywhere.... Except those 30 days a year where we have rain. Then it's like quicksand.

In the places where it really matters, I have concrete or pavers.

Mistake I made when the concrete was poured was that it was during the boom and it was EXPENSIVE. So my walkways are more narrow than I am comfortable with, it's a white-knuckle adventure turning around. I was a new wheeler then and listened to peeps that didn't have a clue. So lesson learned, trust yourself. :)

Cool decking is used a lot here so that it doesn't burn feet or reflect as much heat back at the house but it is expensive.

[quadfather]

I have exposed aggregate and highly recommend it. It wears like plain concrete but the texture adds traction without making pushing difficult. The texture also adds a depth and beauty that concrete can't match, IMO

[ChipS]

I have exposed aggregate and highly recommend it. It wears like plain concrete but the texture adds traction without making pushing difficult. The texture also adds a depth and beauty that concrete can't match, IMO

This is another great option. I have a freind just south of Pittsburgh that has the exposed agg on an entire patio. The color of the natural aggregate is fantastic in this area.

[webfoot]

Not really House Beautiful but here is an option - A pickup load of 8"x16" concrete pavers @ 69 cents each @ Home Depot + two rolls of landscape fabric + pickup load of gravel + a couple bags o sand + 2 hungry, thirsty college students + a wee bit o beer = a reasonably chair, earth, wallet and pup friendly path.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Not really House Beautiful but here is an option - A pickup load of 8"x16" concrete pavers @ 69 cents each @ Home Depot + two rolls of landscape fabric + pickup load of gravel + a couple bags o sand + 2 hungry, thirsty college students + a wee bit o beer = a reasonably chair, earth, wallet and pup friendly path.

Good idea, looks like a very cost effective walkway. Looks like you were able to keep the cost of material and labor well under control.

I've got a couple estimate to do my paver walkway and they are talking around 3 grand. I'm waiting for a estimate in cement, the contractors around here dont even know what exposed aggregate is, lol.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Just got the estimate today to do a cement walkway, they want 1600 dollars, I guess thats not too bad considering its like 71 feet long. They are going to put in 4 inches of sand first after it is dug out and then patch up the lawn around it.

[JenJen]

Just got the estimate today to do a cement walkway, they want 1600 dollars, I guess thats not too bad considering its like 71 feet long. They are going to put in 4 inches of sand first after it is dug out and then patch up the lawn around it.


How wide is the walkway?

[Curt Leatherbee]

Its 3 1/2 feet wide (42 inches) should be just right, my wheelchair is about 27 inches wide, so room to spare of around 7 inches on each side as I'm wheeling along the walkway. First thing I'm going to do though is get my septic system pumped out to make sure the underground cover is clear from where I'm planning on putting the walkway. I would not want to cement over the septic access. I've only had the septic pumped once in the ten years I've lived in my house which was about 5 years ago, so I figure to do it every five years is fine. I cant remember the exact location of the underground cover, the septic company has a drawing where its at.

[Foolish Old]

FWIW - my experience is that a 60" walkway is worth the additional expense if you can swing it. Its 3 1/2 feet wide (42 inches) should be just right, my wheelchair is about 27 inches wide, so room to spare of around 7 inches on each side as I'm wheeling along the walkway. First thing I'm going to do though is get my septic system pumped out to make sure the underground cover is clear from where I'm planning on putting the walkway. I would not want to cement over the septic access. I've only had the septic pumped once in the ten years I've lived in my house which was about 5 years ago, so I figure to do it every five years is fine. I cant remember the exact location of the underground cover, the septic company has a drawing where its at.

[fuentejps]

Isnt 4ft code

[Foolish Old]

Which code? There are many. Isnt 4ft code

[ChipS]

Its 3 1/2 feet wide (42 inches) should be just right, my wheelchair is about 27 inches wide, so room to spare of around 7 inches on each side as I'm wheeling along the walkway. First thing I'm going to do though is get my septic system pumped out to make sure the underground cover is clear from where I'm planning on putting the walkway. I would not want to cement over the septic access. I've only had the septic pumped once in the ten years I've lived in my house which was about 5 years ago, so I figure to do it every five years is fine. I cant remember the exact location of the underground cover, the septic company has a drawing where its at.

Curt - Trust me on this...go with a 48" walkway. I would only recommend 36" in cases where space is limited. You'll be glad you did. :)

[Big Tuna]

Hey Norm - have you thought about doing pavers? Rinox & EP Henry are local manufacturers close to us. Another plus is that there are lights that "replace" the pavers on the border - like a runway! and its low voltage which is cheap & easy

[Curt Leatherbee]

Hey Norm - have you thought about doing pavers? Rinox & EP Henry are local manufacturers close to us. Another plus is that there are lights that "replace" the pavers on the border - like a runway! and its low voltage which is cheap & easy

At least according to the guy I got my quote from pavers were double the price of cement. $3200 vs $1600, they do look nicer though.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Curt - Trust me on this...go with a 48" walkway. I would only recommend 36" in cases where space is limited. You'll be glad you did. :)

I'm not sure if I have the space to make my walkway 4 feet wide, I'm coming really close to where the pumpout is on my septic tank, I dont want to cement over it, its underground, gotta figure out exactly where it is before I do the walkway job, going to get it pumped out this week, been five years.

[ChipS]

I understand what you mean there, just consider the fact that you will have control joints cut into the walk at internals, typically about 5 feet. Then, if you would need to gain access or excavate near the tank, the walk could be removed in sections according to those joints and you won't need to trash the whole thing.

Also, if you go with a stamped concrete, the patterns are irregular enough that you can pull the sides of the walk in when you need to without making it look odd.

But, if space is limited, ya gotta do what ya gotta do...:mega:

Get several estimates from guys that can show you thier work locally, and take pics of your walk when its done and let us all see!!!

[Norm]

I'm leaning toward cement. I was warned about the bricks becoming uneven. I'm thinking 3 ft wide.

[Curt Leatherbee]

I'm leaning toward cement. I was warned about the bricks becoming uneven. I'm thinking 3 ft wide.

My other walkways that were at the house to start with are around 3 feet and have worked out ok for me but you may want to go at least an extra 6 inches wider if at all possible as its a little more comfortable than being so tight against the lawn on either side of your wheels especially if its dark out.

I had my septic pumped today and found where the cover was. Just like I thought its gonna come very close to the walkway and 48 inches would cover the cover a little bit, so 42 inches its gonna have to be.

[Norm]

Well my estimate is at 3100.00 now. If i add 6" its going to add more to the cost.

[Scott Pruett]

You may not want to rule out concrete, but instead think about aggregate (exposed rock) which makes it less slippery and more attractive...

We have an aggregate walk @ my mom's house - works great, looks great.

This isn't the best photo, but here's one that shows it.

This section has seen ~10 years of weather.

[fuentejps]

here is our patio. its a roman stamp w/ 2x2 45 deg angle cuts. its 2 color 1 integaral, mixed in the cement the othe is cast on top which gives the texture highlights. we have antislip in the sealant, its not slippery at all.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/fuentejps/patio.jpg

[vjls]

that looks really nice but i would have feel penned in,but thats why the have differnt type
housing

i just have a concrete patio but it serves the kids built me a brick walkway to office
which helps

[Curt Leatherbee]

Heres the final product, its long. I ended up doing brushed cement. It was about half the cost of pavers.